McKinley Benson is an American filmmaker working across live-action and animation whose work pairs intimate character-driven stories with a strong visual sensibility, moving fluidly between mediums and genres.

His films have received international recognition, most notably the Best Story Award at Animayo and the Director’s Choice Award at Thomas Edison FF, both Academy Award®-qualifying festivals. With 100+ official selections (Sydney FF, Guadalajara IFF, HollyShorts, Tehran ISFF, Newport Beach FF, Kyiv IFF), 20+ festival wins and special mentions, and three Student Emmy Awards, McKinley has been highlighted by outlets such as Animation Magazine and Cartoon Brew in their 2026 Oscar® Contenders coverage.

His body of work includes narrative short films such as Two Ships, created in collaboration with the Oscar®-nominated Portuguese animation cooperative COLA, and Homestead, a horror-western set in 1870s Oregon — as well as several documentaries and television pilots. He has also worked with major studios including Netflix, Amazon Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, Paramount, and XYZ Films.

McKinley is currently developing a live-action series based on his Indie Grant-winning mockumentary Clonely, as well as a new animated project, both under his Room 330 production banner.